When the Stroke Association and Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland submitted information to the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee, they asked for further evidence, and they needed further evidence. Surely that gives us the opportunity to get evidence and have a trial, which is what the motion suggests that we do.

The latest statistics show that Scotland’s economy grew by just 0.1 per cent in the past few months to August and that the service sector experienced completely flat growth during that period. What action is the Scottish Government taking to attract inward investment, to ensure that Scottish service businesses are in an environment that enables them to thrive and survive?

Year after year, local government budgets have been squeezed while COSLA continues to highlight concerns that councils are struggling to find funds to provide for even statutory services. In real terms, the budget for local government this year is lower than it has been in the past, while demand for public services continues to increase. Will the cabinet secretary guarantee that the forthcoming budget settlement will be sufficient for councils to deliver their lifeline statutory services?

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the latest “Scottish Economic Bulletin”. (S6O-03975)

I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to today’s debate, and I thank Marie McNair for bringing this important topic to the chamber.

Ever since I was first elected to this Parliament more than eight years ago, I have sought to highlight the issue of COPD and lung health more generally. That is why I am proud to serve as the co-convener of the cross-party group on lung health along with my colleague Emma Harper MSP. That platform has provided the opportunity to highlight the important work that organisations are carrying out on the issue. That includes the work of organisations such as Asthma and Lung UK, for which I am proud to serve as this Parliament’s smoking cessation champion.

Today’s motion also speaks of the work that small community organisations do. To that end, I acknowledge the fantastic work that is carried out by organisations in my region, such as Breathe Easy Clackmannanshire Community Group. The group provides key support for those facing lung health conditions, and, last year, it launched a befriending service, enabling it to support those who have been left housebound by their condition.

As today’s motion sets out, the theme for this year’s world COPD day is “Know your lung function”. The organisers of world COPD day and the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease—GOLD—have highlighted the importance of measuring lung function. The process can be an important tool for diagnosing COPD.

We know that many factors affect lung health throughout a person’s life, including air pollution and respiratory issues, which can increase the risk of developing chronic lung disease later in life. Just as GOLD highlights, we should remember that poor lung health leads to poor health generally. That is why the diagnosis and treatment of lung disease are so important.

Today’s motion speaks about the tens of thousands of individuals in Scotland who have a poor diagnosis of their condition—a statistic that lays bare the true urgency of the issue. Research by Asthma and Lung UK has suggested that half of those individuals with COPD have yet to receive a proper diagnosis.

In that respect, we welcome the publication of the Government’s respiratory care action plan, because it is a much-needed step forward, and I am sure that the minister will talk about that in her summing up. However, a lot of work is still required to ensure that all 12 recommendations, commitments and plans are implemented. Those include the commitment to improving access to screening for lung health problems, and to ensuring that respiratory care is updated in line with recent science. Given the large number of undiagnosed cases of COPD, the work is clearly urgent, and I hope that the Scottish Government will treat it as such.

In conclusion, I take the opportunity to commend the important work of the organisations that strive to raise awareness of this challenging condition. I also commend those who find themselves living with it. As we have heard, it is debilitating for those individuals. As well as raising awareness of COPD, we must continue to improve how we support those who are affected. I hope that the Government can take that message from today’s debate and ensure that everyone who is suffering from the condition can access the support that they truly need.

Seen to be done.

It is important that the opportunity is there for everyone—not just for the individuals involved but for those from the wider community—who wants to be involved in the process, whether that is local people or the media.

How many of the hearings are online?

That is an important process.

You say in the report that you held 16 hearings and that the annual costs were about £337,000. On average, that is about £21,000 per hearing. Is that the case? Does each hearing cost as much as that? Are some hearings lengthier than others, or do they all follow the same structure and process? What value do you place on the hearing process? How do you ensure that you are spending the money in a proportionate way and getting best value for money?

Costs.